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United States Patent O PACKAGE FOR CAPPED ARTICLES William A. Ringler, Wayne, Pa., assigner to The Gardner Board and Carton Co., Middletown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 3, 1949, Serial No. 130,880

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) My invention relates to cartons or containers in which sales units of groups of articles such as cans or bottles may be packaged for handling, storage, display, and merchandising, and for convenient transportation by the purchaser from the store to his home.

An object of my invention is the provision of a carton or container for a sales unit of cans or bottles which can be furnished to the manufacturer of the product in the form of a completely made article, requiring only a simple erecting operation and top closure operation after lling.

It is an object of my invention to provide a structure for the purpose described which will be complete as manufactured with respect to all body walls and a bottom, so that a top closing operation is all that is required after filling.

It is an object of my invention to provide a structure of the class described in which the contents are securely locked irrespective of the position of the package, which can be turned upside-down without loss of the articles.

It is an object of my invention to provide a structure in which portions of the articles are visible after the closure of the package. This is of particular importance in connection with bottles or cans which are closed by caps, inasmuch as different taxes apply to beverages in different states, and appropriate indicia are ordinarily printed on the caps or closures of the cans or bottles. As a consequence, an object of the invention is the provision of a package in which, despite complete closure and locking, the caps axed to the cans or bottles will be visible.

lt is an object of my invention to provide a structure having the advantages set forth above, which nevertheless will be capable of being stacked either for stor age or for display purposes.

It is an object of my invention to provide a package of the class described which provides adequate surfaces for attractive printing. In this connection it is an ob ject of my invention also to provide a package not only of unusual but of neat and attractive appearance.

lt is an object of my invention to provide a package in which top closure elements coact in a locking fashion with the individual units of can or bottle form to be placed therein.

These and other objects of my invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that structure and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe certain exemplary embodiments. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of the blank for one form of my package, namely a package for disposable beverage cans.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the package in folded and glued condition.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section of the collapsed package taken along the section line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar transverse section taken through the erected package.

Figure 5 is a similar section taken through the package as illed with its contents.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the filled package showing an initial closure operation.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the filled package in partially closed condition.

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Figure 8 is a top plan view of the fully closed package.

Figure 9 is a partial vertical sectional view of they filled and closed package.

Figure 10 is a plan View of the blank for a modified form of my invention.

Figure 11 is a plan View showing the completely formed, folded and glued blank in collapsed condition.

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the closed package with portions broken away.

Figure 13 is a side elevation of the filled and closed package.

Figure 14 is a transverse vertical sectional View of the package of the second embodiment.

Figure 15 is a partial transverse sectional view of the first form of package, in use for disposable bottles, and showing the employment of partition elements.

In Figure 1, wherein solid lines indicate lines of cut and dot-dash lines, lines of score, I have illustrated the blank for one exemplary form of my invention. The blank may be made of paperboard of suitable weight, which may be printed as desired. The blank forming operations are, as usual, carried on on conventional cutting and scoring presses.

The blank is configured to form a side wall 1, a bottom wall 1, and a side wall 4 articulated together in the order named. The bottom wall has a median score line 5. Articulated to the ends of the side wall elements 1 and 4 are partial end wall elements 6, 7, 8 and 9. One pair of these elements, such as the elements 6 and 7, is provided with glue aps 10 and 11, as shown. Partial end wall closure flaps 12, 13, 15 and 16 are articulated to the tops of the partial end wall elements, and a pair of these flaps also, such as the flaps 12 and 13, is provided with glue aps 17 and 18. Top closure elements 19 and 20 are articulated respectively to the outer edges of the side wall elements 1 and 4.

The bottom panel 2 will be so dimensioned as to underlie a group or sales unit of the articles to be placed in the package, such for example, as an assembly of six beverage cans 21. The depth of the side and end walls of my structure may be made to be the same as the height of the articles 21, but preferably as shown in several figures hereof, the depth of the side and end walls is made less than the total height of the containers. In the case of cans having upwardly tapering top portions, it is my preferred practice to terminate the side and end walls at the height of the shoulders of the containers, and in the case of bottles, as shown in Figure l5, at a height roughly approximating the midsection of the shoulder portion.

As a consequence, portions of the side and end wall closure flaps will roughly follow the contour of the tapered upper portions of the cans or the shoulders of the bottles. It is my purpose to interlock the closure flaps with the containers in order to supply a package in which the container caps are visible even though the package is closed, and in order to obtain a package in which the closure elements are locked with the articles themselves so that the package may be handled in any position without loss of its contents.

To this end I provide the partial end wall flap elements 12, 13, 15 and 16 with cut-outs 22, 23, 24 and 25 to engage the necks of bottles or cans; and I provide the side wall flaps 19 and 20 with perforations 26 and 27 of a size to go over the necks of the cans or bottles. but of a diameter somewhat smaller than the diameter of the caps thereof. In order to permit the caps to be forced through these perforations, I provide them with slits indicated at 28 and 29.

The blank of Figure 1 is simply and rapidly formed up and glued on standard carton folding and gluing machines, which either may be of the right-angle type, or of that type having sections in which elements are provided for making folds transverse the movement of the blanks. In forming up the collapsed structure, the blank is folded along median score line 5 of the bottom panel 2. Glue is applied as indicated in the areas 30 and 31 to the glue flap portions 10, 17 and 11, 18, whereupon-these portions are folded over onto the opposite partial end wall members 8 and 9 and their partial end wall ap elements 15 and 16. This provides the structure shown in plan in Figure 2 and in section in Figure 3. It is a collapsed structure adapted to be shipped and handled fiat until ready for use. The end wall elements, the end wall iiaps and the bottom element are all effectively folded on median score lines as will be evident from Figure 2.

ln use the structure is simply erected by pushing inwardly on the extended and folded end Wall elements. This results in bringing the end Wall elements into iiat planes, which in turn results in the folding of the bottom element into a at plane as illustrated in Figure 4. With the erected structure resting upon a surface, it now may be filled with the cans or bottles 21. Partition elements are ordinarily not required with cans; but with bottles any form of longitudinal and lateral partition structure may be employed as desired. A longitudinal partition element is shown at 48 in Figure 15.

When this has been accomplished, the end wall iiaps are folded inwardly, necks of adjacent end bottles engaging in the cut-outs 22, 23, 24 and 25. A flap so engaged is illustrated in Figure 6. Finally, the side wall flaps 19 and 20 are folded over and are pressed downwardly until the capped necks of the bottles or cans protrude through the perforations 26 and 27. When this has occurred, the closure is fully locked. Not only are the side wall flaps 19 and 20 locked in place by the engagement of the necks of adjacent bottles through the perforations 26 and 27, but in the particular ernbodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 9 inclusive, and as best shown in the last mentioned one of these figures, the widthwise dimensions of the top side wall closure fiaps 19 and 20 are made such that their outer edges engage beneath the caps of non-adjacent bottles. This provides a particularly rigid structure which is braced against racking movement. Irrespective of this last mentioned feature, it will be evident that the top closure is locked by the containers 21, which in turn are securely locked in the package so that the package may be held upside-down and shaken Without any dislodgment of the containers.

The package is a particularly attractive one by reason of its configuration at the top, as illustrated, and the visibility of the container caps which also is useful for a reason given in the preamble of this specification. The lengthwise dimensions of the side and end wall elements may be made equivalent to the length and width of the assembly of containers to be carried in the package, in which event the package will have a rectangular horizontal configuration. But the side and end wall elements may alternatively be made somewhat shorter than the length and width of the container assembly, in which event the side and end walls will bow in slightly at their ends as best seen in Figure 6. This frequently enhances the attractiveness of the package.

A somewhat modified structure is illustrated in Figures to 14. Here like parts have been given like index numerals. However, the side Wall elements 1 and 4 have been made definitely shorter than the length of the assembly of containers 21. Full end wall elements 32 and 33 are articulated to the ends ofthe side wall element l by connecting webs 34 and 35. The end wall elements 32 and 33, to which are articulated end closure iiaps 36 and 37, are provided, along with these flaps, with median score lines 38 and 39. The opposite side wall element 4 has glue iiaps 40 and 41 articulated to it through connecting portions 42 and 43. Side wall top closure flaps 44 and 45 are provided with the perforations 26 and 27 as before. The inner portions of the side edges of these closure flaps are cut in angularly as shown, since the closure flaps vare preferably formed to be of the same length as the bottom element 2, and hence of greater length than the side wall elements 1 and 4. Score lines 46 and 47 may be provided in the side wall closure flaps 44 and 45 to assist these flaps in following the contour of the shoulders of the cans 21.

This carton may be formed up and glued on the machines mentioned above. Again, the blank is first folded on the bottom median score line 5, after which with the provision of adhesive on the then upper surfaces of the glue flaps 40 and 41, the end wall elements 32 and 33 together with their attached end Wall closure iiaps 36 and 37 are folded over on the median score lines 38 and 39, resulting in the knock-down structure illustrated in Figure 11.

This structure is erected as before described; but when it is filled with the cans 21, by reason of the foreshortened length of the side and end wall members, and the provision of the connecting elements 34, 35, 42 and 43, the package in horizontal cross-section assumes an octagonal configuration best illustrated in Figure 12 but also apparent in Figure 13, and which is highly attractive. The top closure elements also hug the shoulders of the cans quite closely as will be apparent from Figures 13 and 14, and the package is neat in appearance. In this particular embodiment the widths of the top side wall closure flaps 44 and 45 have been made such that these aps merely meet at the center of the top of the package, as will be evident from Figures 12 and 14, but do not overlap and are not provided with the extra locking feature described in connection with Figures 9 and 15 above.

My package is an inexpensive one which, although it has all of the advantages enumerated above, is appropriate for use with disposable containers for beverages and other liquids.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus described my invention in certain exemplary embodiments, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a package for an assembly of capped articles, a collapsible carrier structure formed from a paperboard blank cut, scored and adhesively joined to form a band portion defining the side and end walls of the carrier structure, a bottom element joining the lower edges of the side wall portions of said band, an assembly of articles supported on said bottom element in parallel rows and surrounded by said closed band, the end wall portions of said band and said bottom element being collapsible along median score lines, ap elements articulated to the upper edges of the end wall portions of said band, said flap elements being medially scored along score lines constituting prolongations of the score lines in the end wall portions of said band and provided with recesses engaging beneath the caps of endmost articles in said assembly, and top closure aps articulated to the upper edges of the side wall portions of said band, said top closure aps being folded inwardly over said first named closure flaps, annular perforations in said top closure aps engaging over the caps of the articles in an adjacent row, the free edges of said last-named closure aps engaging beneath the caps of articles in a non-adjacent row.

2. In a package for an assembly of capped articles, a collapsible carrier structure formed from a paperboard blank cut, scored and adhesively joined to form a band portion defining the side and end walls of the carrier structure, a bottom element joining the lower edges of the side wall portions of said band, an assembly of articles supported on said bottom element in parallel rows and surrounded by said closed band, the end wall portions of said band and said bottom element being collapsible along median score lines, iiap elements articulated to the upper edges of the end wall portions of said band, said iiap elements being medially scored along score lines constituting prolongations of the score lines in the end wall portions of said band and provided with recesses engaging beneath the caps of endmost articles in said assembly, and top closure flaps articulated to the upper edges of the side wall portions of said band, said top closure flaps being folded inwardly over said rst named closure flaps, annular perforations in said top closure aps engaging over the caps of the articles in an adjacent row, the free edges of said last-named closure flaps engaging beneath the caps of articles in a non-adjacent row, the height of said band being less than the total height of said articles, said articles having shoulders adjacent their tops, with said closure iiaps configured to follow the general upward slant of said shoulders in extending from the tops of the said side and end wall portions, respectively, to the caps of adjacent articles in said assembly.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 744,284 Bierwirth Nov. 17, 1903 1,101,135 Lyons June 13,1914 1,168,561 Rosenwald Ian. 18,1916 1,532,316 Kaufman Apr. 7, 1925 (Other references on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Boneld May 8, 1928 Keith May 4, 1937 Trost Oct. 12, 1943 Steam Nov. 30, 1943 Goodyear Apr. 4,1944

Brogden Oct. 3,1944

Ringler Mar. 13, 1945 Darragh Dec. 31, 1946 Gilbert May 1, 1951 Ringler June 12, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia Jan. 9, 1936 

